In one sense, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has obtained it simple. The worldwide growth of South Korean Okay-culture exports like pop teams BTS and Blackpink, and even dystopian hits like Squid Recreation and Parasite, have finished extra to market his beguiling metropolis of 10 million than any Madison Avenue publicity marketing campaign may.
However that doesnt imply Oh is sitting again. The 62-year-old former lawyer and lawmaker says he’s decided to remodel Seoul right into a high vacationer vacation spot in addition to an Asian hub for worldwide companies. To that finish, he lately returned from a goodwill tour of North America, the place he threw the primary pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays recreation, earlier than attending New York Metropolis Local weather Week, together with a gathering of the C40 Local weather Management Groupa international community of progressive metropolis leaderson the sidelines of the U.N. Local weather Ambition Summit.
Oh made his identify as a lawyer by establishing the best to daylight for the primary time in South Korean historical past, which means that builders and metropolis planners have been compelled to depart enough room between buildings. As Mayor, he has championed inexperienced insurance policies corresponding to encouraging residents to drink faucet fairly than bottled water, boosting recycling targets, and lowering wastage.
Oh spoke to TIME in Seoul Metropolis Corridor, the place he mentioned bonding with New York Mayor Eric Adams over a whisky, why South Korea wants nuclear weapons, and a possible run for the nations high job.
This interview has been condensed and edited for readability.
You have simply returned from the U.S. How was that journey?
The go to was very fruitful. In the beginning, we had the C40 Steering Committee assembly, the place I met with the Mayor of London and different mayors of main cities around the globe to debate local weather motion. I additionally met with the Mayor of New York, Eric Adams, and we signed an MOU [memorandum of understanding] on pleasant cooperation.
I had a drink with Mayor Adams within the night and we actually got here collectively in solidarity and unity, as a result of he’s known as the Republican Democrat mayor, and I’m a member of a conservative occasion but additionally known as perhaps the Democratic politician inside it. And we’re each very dedicated to caring for susceptible teams in our society. Once we mentioned goodbye, we mentioned that we’ll change into brothers and have become very shut.
Seoul is the middle of the Okay-culture phenomenon and plans to draw 30 million international vacationers to the town by 2027. What smooth energy advantages does the Okay-culture buzz convey?
Our precise technique is 3377, which implies we wish to appeal to 30 million inbound vacationers to Seoul yearly, and for every to spend 3 million Korean gained [$2,300]. And we would like them to remain in Seoul for seven days, with a revisit price to be 70percentin order that’s 3377. After all, the tourism business has very favorable results by way of job creation and financial improvement. However much more importantly, Seoul has change into the topic of curiosity and curiosity of individuals around the globe. We hope that this Okay-culture recognition can lead extra individuals to return to Seoul and lift the general nationwide model of South Korea.
Seoul was listed within the high 10 international monetary cities in March. How are you striving to make it a business-friendly place?
To make a metropolis business-friendly individuals speak about reducing the tax price or revitalizing the startup ecosystem. However that is apparent. To change into a really business-friendly metropolis we have to make a metropolis that could be very enticing, the place individuals wish to reside, generate profits, and revel in themselves. So I deal with three parts: expertise, expertise, and tolerance. Seoul is already well-known to be a sensible metropolis and has 54 universities, so now we have plentiful expertise. The third aspect, tolerance, is about having the mindset of being open and welcoming to foreigners.
October marked the one-year anniversary of the Itaewon catastrophe, when 159 individuals died in a crush whereas celebrating Halloween. What steps have you ever taken to make sure that such a tragedy can by no means occur once more?
In the beginning is how we deal with occasions or events the place there isn’t a host or organizer. Relating to {hardware}, we put in extra CCTVs alongside the principle roads and alleyways to detect the group earlier than an accident occurs. Already, Seoul has 150,000 CCTV all through the town and so we’re fairly a protected metropolis; ladies can stroll at 10 p.m. or midnight and really feel protected from crime. We are going to incorporate AI in these so-called individuals counting CCTVs and they also mechanically detect the variety of individuals in crowds they usually ship this data to the management tower. So I firmly consider that such an accident is not going to happen once more.
Nonetheless, to this present day nobody has resigned or been held liable for the tragedy. Do you suppose that is ok?
The investigation is ongoing in a particularly reasonable method and legal instances are being pursued. Prison accountability is being positioned on the top of the police company and the top of the hearth division in that area.
Some family members of Itaewon victims advised me that they are being fined for erecting a small shrine outdoors Metropolis Corridor. Why is it acceptable to superb grieving households for a small, non-obstructive shrine on public land?
If that they had consulted with the Seoul Metropolitan authorities earlier than putting in the shrine, it will not have been an issue. However in keeping with Korean legislation its illegalthats why we fined them. It’s certainly disappointing, however there’s an inevitable side to the scenario. The Seoul metropolis authorities has been constantly making honest efforts to assist and stand by the bereaved households all year long. We now have assigned designated public officers to assist them and now we have maintained communication.
You lately unveiled a Going along with a socially uncared for coverage which goals to uplift the citys much less privileged and scale back inequality. What’s your imaginative and prescient behind this and what does it imply in sensible phrases?
In lots of superior nations, the extra nationwide wealth gathered the broader the hole between the wealthy and the poor. Korea isn’t any exception. However we cant let the wealthy get even richer; everybody should get affluent collectively. So it is the governments duty to handle susceptible teams in society.
instance is Seoul Be taught, which is a web based academic platform. In Korea, in contrast to different nations, to get into a superb college college students should enroll in personal educational establishments. However these personal educational establishments are very costly. Seoul Be taught offers college students from households within the backside 25% revenue bracket these in style and costly academic content material totally free. We offer them with costly academic supplies and textbooks and match them with college college students as mentors. Their educational ranges have risen fairly considerably.
Final 12 months, most contributors of Seoul Be taught entered good universities and so it is a symbolic instance of our going along with the socially uncared for. We wish to sever the unhealthy cycle of the wealthy getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Individuals with bodily disabilities are additionally among the many socially uncared for. Not too long ago, you have been fairly important of the Solidarity In opposition to Incapacity Discrimination (SADD) advocacy group that protested by blocking commuter routes. Why?
Truly, I do not consider it was a harsh response. We have been fairly tolerant as a result of they intentionally and deliberately blocked subways greater than 90 instances over the previous 12 months and a half. Subways depend on the precise time that they are presupposed to run. At first, SADD held protests calling for mobility rights of individuals with disabilities. Town authorities listened to their calls for and rolled out mobility enchancment initiatives in response. Nonetheless, SADD continued their protests, now urging for a rise within the central authorities price range for disabled individuals, which isn’t a part of the town governments jurisdiction.
Within the meantime, our harmless residents who commute for his or her livelihoods have suffered. These disruptions in public transportation have resulted in not solely private struggling but additionally public losses. In one of the best curiosity of our residents, the town authorities needed to make a troublesome but agency determination to now not tolerate disruptions brought on by their protests. That’s the reason now we have taken authorized actions and we needed to prohibit their subway protests.
You are working in direction of the Zero Waste Seoul and striving to extend the plastic recycling price to 80% by 2026. What is the greatest barrier you face to attaining this purpose?
It is an important purpose however very troublesome as a result of we see a fast improve in single-person and two-person households, which collectively account for greater than 60% of your complete inhabitants of Seoul. Younger individuals go away their dad and mom home and resort to supply meals in plastic containers, so it’s totally difficult.
You have been fairly vocal supporting South Korea growing its personal nuclear deterrent. Why is that? Presumably you consider that the present scenario below the U.S. nuclear umbrella is inadequate.
We belief within the U.S. and we belief within the Biden Administration. Nonetheless, the U.S. president is changed each 4 years. We wish to consider within the promise that the U.S. has given us and think about the alliances between our nations. However relying on who’s president of the U.S., this may change. Each nation must have the means to defend itself. And since North Korea has their very own nukes; nukes can deter nukes.
Whenever you say that issues can change, it looks like you might be referring to a different potential time period by former President Donald Trump [whose charm offensive with North Korea included canceling joint military drills with South Korea]. Is he what made you undertake this viewpoint?
It is a very delicate query. I will not pinpoint precisely a sure particular person however it is not uncommon information that the president adjustments each 4 years and the Korean individuals need 100% protection of their nation.
Talking of presidents, lots of people in Seoul need you to run for the South Korean presidency. Have you ever any such plans?
I’m a fourth time period Mayor of Seoul, however as a result of I used to be elected in a by-election, I’ve solely served a bit over 10 years [instead of 16]. So I nonetheless have very robust aspirations to finish quite a few initiatives for the town of Seoul. Whether or not or not I’ll run for president sooner or later, I do not know.